Continuous Deployment vs Continuous Delivery

Today, organisations aim for speed, agility, and dependability in software delivery. You may hear terms like Continuous Deployment (CDp) and Continuous Delivery (CD) when discussing DevOps practices. While they may sound similar, they represent different stages of automating the software release pipeline in a fast-paced development environment.

This blog explains the main differences between Continuous Deployment and Continuous Delivery, outlines their benefits, and provides examples to help you understand which approach is better for your organisation.

What is Continuous Delivery (CD) in DevOps?

Continuous Delivery (CD) is a software development practice where each code change is automatically tested and prepared for release to production. However, the operations team or a product manager manually deploys the final release, typically after approval or verification.

Example Workflow of Continuous Delivery

• Developers Push Code Updates to Version Control Platforms like GitHub.
• CI Tools Like Jenkins and GitHub Actions Automate Unit, Integration, and UI Tests.
• After Successful Testing, the Software is Packaged and Prepared for Deployment
• Production Releases Require Manual Approval from a Manager or Release Engineer

Benefits of Continuous Delivery

Control and flexibility: Teams have the flexibility to select the timing and content of their releases.

Reduced deployment risks: Releasing smaller updates incrementally allows for more regular improvements and enhancements to be created to the product, leading to a more responsive and adjustable user experience.

Improved collaboration: The operations, product, and development teams work together to ensure that all factors of the release, including planning, testing, and implementation, are coordinated effectively.

What is Continuous Deployment (CDp) in DevOps?

Continuous Deployment goes a step further by automatically releasing every change to production without requiring manual intervention. When the software passes all automated tests, it is deployed to production in real-time.

Example Workflow of Continuous Deployment:

1. Developers Push Code Updates to GitHub or GitLab Repositories.
2. Automated CI Tools Execute Unit, Integration, and Security Tests
3. Successful Test Runs Trigger Immediate Production Deployment via ArgoCD, Spinnaker, or AWS CodePipeline

Benefits of Continuous Deployment:

Faster time to market: Users get new features and bug fixes instantly.

Smaller and more frequent updates: Reduces the chances of major failures.

Less manual effort: No need for approvals, which saves time.

Higher developer productivity: Developers see their changes live quickly, increasing morale.

When to Implement Continuous Delivery vs Continuous Deployment in DevOps

Use Continuous Delivery When:

• Before implementing new features, such as in the financial or healthcare industries, regulatory approval is necessary.
• Frequent changes can affect your customers.
• Your team wants to have control over the timing and content of releases.

Example:‍

A banking application can utilize Continuous Delivery to make sure that each release is checked for compliance and security before it is deployed. This allows us to avoid releasing any bugs or unapproved features to end users.

Use Continuous Deployment When:

• Rapid Feature and Bug Fix Releases are Essential for SaaS Platforms
• Frequent Updates Help Gather User Feedback Quickly for Products with a Large User Base
• Reducing Human Intervention in Deployments Helps Minimize Errors and Risks

Example:‍

E-commerce Platforms like Amazon Leverage Continuous Deployment for Instant Bug Fixes and Feature Releases

Real-World Example: Continuous Delivery vs Continuous Deployment Explained

Let's say you're creating an online shopping platform. Here are some examples to show how Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment would function:

Scenario 1: How Continuous Delivery Works

• Developer Pushes Code Changes to Boost Checkout Performance.
• All Automated Tests Pass, Ensuring Code Quality and Stability.
• Product Manager Reviews the Update and Plans the Release for Next Week.
• Changes Stay in the Staging Environment Until They Are Approved for Deployment.

Scenario 2: How Continuous Deployment Works

• The Same Code Update is Pushed to the Version Control Repository.
• Automated Testing Completes Without Errors, Validating the Build.
• Code Changes are Instantly Released to Production.
• The Improved Checkout Flow Goes Live Within Minutes of the Code Push.

In this example, Continuous Delivery gives you more control, while Continuous Deployment provides faster feedback and agility.

Challenges of Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment

Challenges of Continuous Delivery:

• Delays in Manual Approvals Can Create Workflow Bottlenecks.
• Manual Approval Delays Can Extremely Impact Workflow and Create Bottlenecks.

Challenges of Continuous Deployment:

• To control mistakes in production, we need to thoroughly test everything.
• Dealing with legacy technologies and industries managed by strict compliance can be tough at times.
• Requires a Strong DevOps Culture Supported by Advanced Automation Tools.

How to Implement Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment

Step-by-Step Process for Continuous Delivery:

• Implement CI/CD Workflows Using Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or CircleCI Automation Tools.
• Achieve Wide Test Coverage Including Unit, Integration, and UI Testing.
• Implement Feature Flags to Enable or Disable Features in Production Environments.
• Create Staging Environments to Validate Releases Before Launching to Production.
• Mandate Manual Approval Before Deployment in Production Environments.

Step-by-Step Process for Continuous Deployment:

• Automate Every Testing Stage, Covering Performance and Security Testing.
• Create Rollback Techniques to Restore Systems After Wrong Deployments.
• Execute Solutions Such as ArgoCD, Kubernetes, and AWS CodeDeploy for Automated Deployment Processes.
• Observe Production Environments Effectively Using Real-Time Alerting and Logging Solutions.
• Encourage a DevOps Mindset That Empowers Developers with Deployment Ownership.

Tools Used for Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment

• CI/CD Platforms: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI
• Deployment Tools: ArgoCD, Spinnaker, AWS CodePipeline, Google Cloud Build
• Monitoring: Grafana, Prometheus, Datadog‍
• Feature Management: LaunchDarkly, Unleash, Split.io

Five Best Practices for Adopting Continuous Delivery

1. Automate Testing at Every Stage

Automation is important for Continuous Delivery. You need to create automatic tests to ensure every change functions properly and doesn't cause any issues.

• How to do it:
  Write unit tests, integration tests, and UI tests for every feature or bug fix.
• Why it matters:
  Ensure that only entirely tested code is advanced to reduce errors when adding new code.

Example:‍

When a developer makes changes to the login feature, automated tests will quickly check if everything is working. This includes verifying password validation and login redirects.

2. Use Small, Frequent Code Changes

it's easier to test and deploy smaller updates than large ones. Break down big features into small tasks and release them more often.

• How to do it:
  Motivate developers to commit code frequently instead of waiting to finish large features.
• Why it matters:
  Smaller changes are easier to test, debug, and release, making deployments safer and faster.

Example:‍

Deploy the payment gateway and discount feature separately instead of building a new checkout system all at once.

3. Create a Staging Environment for Final Checks

Before you put your application into production, make sure to test it in a staging environment that replicates the real one.

• How to do it:
  Use a staging server to test how your code performs under real-world conditions (like real user data).
• Why it matters:
  This helps catch last-minute issues before they affect users in production.

Example:‍

Before launching, test the new checkout features in a staging environment to ensure they work smoothly with payment systems.

4. Use Feature Flags to Control Releases

You can use feature flags to introduce new features to specific users or disable features without having to deploy new code.

• How to do it:
  Wrap new features in feature flags so they can be toggled on or off from a dashboard.
• Why it matters:
  You can release features gradually to certain users and disable them if something goes wrong, without a full rollback.

Example:‍

You implement a new discount feature for testing with 10% of users before making it available to everyone.

5. Monitor and Rollback Quickly if Needed

Remember, when it comes to Continuous Delivery, it's not just about releasing quickly, it's about releasing safely. Use monitoring tools to identify issues and have a plan in place to roll back changes if needed.

• How to do it:
  Set up monitoring and alerting systems to detect errors or performance drops right after deployment.
• Why it matters:
  If something goes wrong, you can quickly roll back to the previous version to minimise impact.

Example:‍

If a new checkout feature causes errors, you can quickly switch back to the old version to avoid losing sales.

Five Best Practices for Adopting Continuous Deployment

1. Automate Every Test You Can

Testing is important because once the code is deployed, there's no manual review. Automated tests act as your safety.

• How to do it:
  Set up unit tests, integration tests, performance tests, and security checks that run automatically every time code is pushed.
• Why it matters:
  If the code has a bug, automated tests will catch it early before it reaches users.

Example:‍

Before deploying any changes to the cart feature, the system automatically tests whether items are added and removed correctly.

2. Use Feature Flags for Controlled Releases

You can use feature flags to roll out new features to specific users even if the code has already been deployed.

• How to do it:
  Wrap new features with feature flags so you can turn them on or off from a dashboard without redeploying the code.
• Why it matters:
  This reduces the risk of bad features affecting all users and gives you time to fix issues while still releasing new code.

Example:‍

You introduce a new search feature, but only roll it out to 10% of users to assess its performance.

3. Monitor Production Closely

Continuous Deployment means sending new code to users a lot. Monitoring tools help find problems right away.

• How to do it:
  Use tools like Datadog, Grafana, or New Relic to monitor system health and performance after every deployment.
• Why it matters:
  If something goes wrong, you’ll know right away and can act quickly to fix it.

Example:‍

You update the system and immediately receive alerts from the monitoring system if there's a slowdown in page loading times.

4. Implement Rollback Mechanisms

Even with thorough testing, things can go wrong when the product is live. Having a plan to roll back to the previous stable version can help you quickly return to a working state if necessary.

• How to do it:
  Use deployment tools like Kubernetes, Spinnaker, or ArgoCD to automate rollbacks when issues occur.
• Why it matters:
  If a new feature causes problems, you can quickly revert to the older version to minimize user impact.

Example:‍

After the deployment, a problem was found in the payment gateway. You quickly reverted to the previous version with a single click while you investigated the issue.

5. Foster a DevOps Culture

For Continuous Deployment to work effectively, development and operations teams should collaborate closely and share responsibilities.

• How to do it:
  Encourage teams to collaborate using chat tools, dashboards, and shared responsibility models.
• Why it matters:
  Developers need to be involved in deployments, and operations teams should have visibility into the code being released.

Example:‍

After deployment, developers and operations work together to fix a bug, improving the process for future releases.

Hire Now!

Hire DevOps Engineers Today!

Ready to enhance your development and operations strategies? Start your project with Zignuts expert DevOps engineers.

**Hire now**Hire Now**Hire Now**Hire now**Hire now

Hire now

Looking to optimize your software delivery? Hire DevOps engineers to implement streamlined Continuous Delivery and Deployment pipelines. Gain faster releases, improved collaboration, and reduced risks today!

Conclusion: Which One is Right for You?

As per our web expert Divyesh, Continuous Delivery (CD) typically involves several crucial steps to ensure smooth and reliable deployments. It starts with automating the build and testing processes. As developers push code changes, these updates pass through a series of automated test cases to catch bugs early. Once the code is successfully deployed to a staging environment and all test cases pass, it is reviewed and approved by relevant personnel, such as senior developers and team leads. This step ensures that no faulty code reaches production, safeguarding the stability and performance of the product.

This process enhances software development efficiency and improves release frequency, leading to better user experiences. Regular deployments also help organizations respond faster to market demands, ensuring new features and bug fixes are delivered without delays. In an era where customers expect regular updates and seamless functionality, Continuous Delivery provides a competitive edge through fast, stable, and predictable releases.

As per our web expert Divyesh, continuous deployment usually involves fewer crucial steps compared to continuous delivery, but it offers faster releases. In continuous deployment, once the code is pushed and passes all automated test cases, it is automatically deployed to the production environment within a short time. This automation minimizes delays between writing code and making it available to end users, enabling businesses to deliver new features and bug fixes faster. However, while this approach is efficient, I prefer a more controlled process where deployments to production are manually approved after a thorough review on a test or staging server.

In continuous deployment, the time to release features is reduced significantly, which allows organizations to respond quickly to market demands and customer feedback. However, this speed comes with risks, as it leaves little room for manual oversight or quality assurance. From my perspective, deploying features directly to production without human review increases the chances of critical issues affecting live users. That’s why I advocate reviewing the deployed code in a controlled environment, such as staging, before moving it to the production server. This approach reduces risks and ensures that only high-quality, thoroughly tested features reach end users.